Governor Signs Bill that Allows Cedric Grant to Oversee the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans

June 20, 2014

NEW ORLEANS, LA – Today, Governor Bobby Jindal announced his signature of Senate Bill 303. The new law allows for the Sewerage and Water Board to complete the hiring of Deputy Mayor Cedric Grant as its director. Mr. Grant has served as Deputy Mayor of Facilities, Infrastructure, and Community Development for the City of New Orleans since 2010. In the coming weeks, he will assume management of the Sewerage and Water Board as it begins a $3.3 billion capital improvement program. Following a nationwide search to replace outgoing Executive Director Marcia St. Martin, Mr. Grant was unanimously selected in December 2013 as the strongest and most qualified candidate for Executive Director by the SW&B Board of Directors.

“Cedric Grant has literally helped rebuild New Orleans,” Mayor Mitch Landrieu said. “Throughout his distinguished 40 year career, Cedric has demonstrated exceptional leadership and integrity as a public servant. In his leadership of the Sewerage and Water Board, he will continue his efforts to rebuild and strengthen the infrastructure that is so critical to our city’s growth and future. There is no person better prepared to take on the task of modernizing this critical public utility.”

For the last four years, Deputy Mayor Grant has overseen the City's infrastructure and jumpstarted Hurricane Katrina recovery projects in nearly every neighborhood in the city. In this capacity, he has overseen the City’s capital development, infrastructure projects, and community development initiatives. Under his direction in negotiations, the City has secured over $828 million in new FEMA recovery funds to repair important facilities and interior neighborhood streets.

Senate Bill 303 clarified the intent of the legislation the Landrieu administration had passed in 2011 that allowed the Mayor to designate an unclassified member of his administration to attend Sewerage and Water Board meetings in his absence. It was never the intent of the administration that the bill would have the effect of making the mayor’s staff designee a full-fledged, independent member of the board, which would have prevented Mr. Grant from assuming leadership of the Sewerage and Water Board.

Mr. Grant came to City Hall after serving as Chief Administrative Officer of Ascension Parish, Louisiana, where he was responsible for management and oversight of all governmental operations. In 2004, Governor Blanco appointed Mr. Grant as Deputy Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, where he served until 2008. Prior to his appointment at the State, Mr. Grant held numerous managerial and administrative positions in government, including service as Chief Administrative Officer for the City of New Orleans. Mr. Grant has also served as Planning Manager for the Port of New Orleans and Director of Capital Projects for the New Orleans Downtown Development District. Mr. Grant served his country in the U.S. Army and completed 23 years of active and reserve service, retiring in 1995 with the rank of major.